Tensions run high at public meeting on fate of historic Georgia State University buildings

Edgewood Ave Courtesy Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Tensions ran high at a town hall meeting May as Georgia State University presented plans for a sweeping million redevelopment project drawing sharp criticism from residents concerned about the possible erasure of Atlanta s historical landmarks Dubbed College Town Downtown the project will transform the Downtown GSU campus into a student-centered hub featuring green spaces safer walkways new gathering areas and an elevated plaza University administrators say the redesign will centralize campus activity improve safety and create a more engaging urban experience for students But for several Atlantans the project comes with an unacceptable cost the planned demolition of two historically essential buildings Sparks Hall built in and named after GSU s first president and century-old Edgewood Ave located in the Martin Luther King Jr Landmark District According to documents provided by GSU Edgewood would become a park called the Fraternity and Sorority Life Plaza FSL Plaza providing students with a larger dedicated greenspace for recreation and community-building while paying homage to Georgia State s Greek life history as well as the history of the location Why tear down Edgewood Like why demanded one woman during the constituents hearing Her sentiment was echoed by other area members who pleaded with university leaders to spare the structures Tearing down a beautiful historic useful building is not being part of the city noted another man at the meeting David Y Mitchell executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center urged GSU administrators to reconsider You don t take books out of a library because they look old and different Mitchell reported You leave them in so you have a full rich understanding of who we are as a people and city Atlanta City Councilmember and GSU graduate Liliana Bakhtiari noted in a letter to the college that Preserving Edgewood is not just about protecting a structure it is about protecting the soul of a neighborhood and honoring the sacrifices and triumphs of those who came before us Demolition would irreparably harm the integrity of the Landmark District and undermine efforts to create a more inclusive and historically aware Atlanta Local attorney Alexander Heideman stated Edgewood which was originally a Georgia Power electrical substation building was a testament to Atlanta s industrial past and its evolution into a modern city Its location on Edgewood Avenue between Courtland Street and Piedmont Avenue places it at the heart of a historically considerable neighborhood that has witnessed Atlanta s rise and the civil rights movement While the university emphasizes safety and enhancing scholar experience as driving forces behind the project preservationists and residents warn that eliminating these buildings would erase irreplaceable pieces of Atlanta s cultural fabric The argument to tear down a historic structure for a Greek green space paying homage to the razed building with a mural is a weak rationale for demolition by neglect Georgia Tech Associate Professor of Architecture Danielle Willkens explained in a letter to GSU The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation which added Edgewood to its list of Georgia Places in Peril also called the planned demolition egregious Given the current condition of the building and no publicly discernible efforts made by the University to consider adaptive use a demolition of this historic stock would be particularly egregious Georgia Trust President W Wright Mitchell mentioned in a letter L Jared Abramson GSU s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer defended the plan emphasizing the need for concentrated safe candidate spaces on the Downtown campus We have hardly any green space in our Downtown landlocked campus Abramson disclosed What we have to do is create a safe place for our students by concentrating our activity instead of spreading ourselves thin Abramson described the hub project as a space where students can make it their own bringing their good potential and creating a society Kameron Wells a current GSU graduate and member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity supported the plan to tear down Edgewood which is adjacent to Greek Housing facilities and build the park He explained fraternity and sororities on campus had been asking GSU for years to create a space where members could congregate The opportunities that this park will open up for the population will give us a cultural space to use Wells declared University bureaucrats hope to complete the redevelopment ahead of the FIFA World Cup matches next summer Rough Draft reached out to GSU for details on how it would consider constituents comment and the letters received by residents and preservationists in its final decision on the buildings but has not received a response Check back for updates The post Tensions run high at populace meeting on fate of historic Georgia State University buildings appeared 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